Introduction to Dutch Pronunciation and Spelling

Dutch spelling is fairly phonetic. In general, there is just one way of describing, writing down a sound, and each letter and letter combination is usually pronounced in the same way. Once you know the pronunciation of the letters and the spelling rules for 'long' and 'short' vowels, you can almost always easily see from written Dutch how to say it, and on hearing Dutch you will know how it's written.
There are (of course!) exceptions, but not that many, and most are not very important. Speaking Dutch following only the general rules - pronoucing every letter in the standard way - would not be really bad Dutch. The only things that early on need explanation is the 'voiceless E' and the spelling of long and short vowels.
Zoals je 't zegt? 2 3 Like you say it? (Asking if a name or a word is written phonetically, according to the spelling rules)

The 'One-Page Dutch Summary' has a short introduction as a refresher or to quickly give you an idea what Dutch Pronunciation is about.
Pronunciation of the Letters - Quick Reference Page

This page is for learning the sounds and spelling of Dutch - if you like, follow the links for more examples and more detailed explanations

'Voiceless, Unstressed E' (the 'schwa')

The Dutch consonants (medeklinkers ) b c d f g h j k l m n p q r s t v w x z are generally not much different from the English consonants - the few diverging cases will be explained below and more

1. The Vowels and the Spelling/Pronunciation Rules

a (short A) aa/a (long A)

e (short E) ee/e (long E) e - "uh" ('voiceless, unstressed E,' 'schwa')

i (short I) ie/i (long I (IE))

o (short O) oo/o (long O)

u (short U) uu/u (long U)

Introduction to the Dutch Vowels with links to many examples
- 'Consonant i'
- more about uu/u 'long U' below

Double vowels are always long, but single vowels can be either long or short - the spelling can tell you:

man 'short a' (man,male)		maan 'long a' (moon)		Ma 'long a' (Mom)		mannen 'short a' (men)		manen 'long a' (moons)
vlot 2 3 'short o' (raft)		vloot 2 'long o' (fleet)		vlo 2 'long o' (flea)		vlotten 2 3 'short o' (rafts)		vloten 2 'long o' (fleets)

The E of the -EN endings is a 'voiceless, unstressed E' (the 'schwa')
(Verb infinitives almost all end in ‑EN, and also many plurals end in ‑EN)

• a double vowel is always 'long'
• a single vowel at the end of a word is always 'long'
  except E, which in this position is 'voiceless, unstressed E:' de 2 ('the' #1)
• a single vowel followed by one or more consonants at the end of a word is 'short'
• a single vowel followed by one consonant followed by one or more vowels is 'long.' (The syllables split is before the single consonant: (ma-nen, vlo-ten)  This is somewhat like English 'silent E')
• a single vowel followed by two or more consonants is 'short.' (The syllable break is between the consonants: (man-nen, vlot-ten))
  This rule 'works' for double consonants, but not always when the consonants are different

Short explanation - Longer explanation
other versions: 1 - 2
Find the Spelling/Pronunciation Rules Yourself by studying and listening to many examples

2. 'Voiceless, Unstressed E' (the 'schwa')

You can't tell if an E is 'voiceless, unstressed' from the spelling, like with single or double vowels and consonants as explained above, but there are a few simple rules for voiceless E, although they do not cover every possibility.

• Single E after a consonant at the end of a word is almost always pronounced as voiceless E:
  - alle ('all') - (de) aarde ('the earth // soil, dirt') - lieve ('dear') - (het) kopje ('cup, small cup') - (het) zusje ('sister')
  more examples - many more examples - the E page
• BE-, GE-, TE- and VER- prefixes (word beginnings be-, ge-, te- and ver- ) have voiceless E:
  - begroot gekort tekort vergroot
  - belet gered terecht verlet
  - bepaald 2 ('specific, certain') - (het) beton 2 ('concrete')
  - (het) gebit 2 3 ('teeth,' "teeth") - (het) gedoe 2 ('fuss')
  - (het) tekort 2 ('shortage, lack') - terug ('back' - going, coming)
  - verdacht 2 3 ('suspect, suspicious') - (het) verdriet 2 ('grief, sadness')
  more examples - many more examples - the E page
• -EN, -ER and -EL suffixes (word endings -en, -er and -el ) have voiceless E
  - planten winter wortel
  - wekken wekker wikkel 2
  - boven 2 ('up, upstairs; over') - binnen 2 ('inside')
  - ander ('other') - (de) boter ('butter')
  - (de) appel ('apple') - (de) borstel ('brush')
  more examples - many more examples - the E page
• BUT not all word beginnings be-, ge-, te- and ver- are prefixes and not all word endings -en, -er and -el are suffixes - not in one-syllable words, and two-syllable words can't have both a prefix and a suffix. Words of three syllables may come with both a prefix and a suffix (or two prefixes or suffixes)
  - beter 2 ('better') - geven 2 ('to give') - (het) teken 2 3 ('sign') - (de) verte 2 ('~distance') - vertel! ('tell me/us!')
  more examples - many more examples - the E page
• The emphasis, stress ((de) klemtoon 2) in a word is almost never on the voiceless, unstressed E - only in these single-syllable common words:
  de ('the') - te ('at; too') - me ('me') - je ('you') - ge (Flemish 'you') - we ('we') - ze ('she; they')
  other one-syllable common words with voiceless E:
  - 'n ('a') - 't ('the; it') - m'n ('my') - z'n ('his') - and slightly substandard 'r ('her; ~there') - d'r ('her; ~there')

more: the 'E' page
other views: 1 - 2

The Diphthongs

AU = OU
blauw ('blue') - au! ('ouch!') - dauw ('dew')
- touw ('rope, string') - goud ('gold') - louter ('pure')
more examples AU - OU - the AU / OU page

EI = IJ
- (de) bereidheid 2 ('readiness, willingness') - ijstijd 2 ('ice age')
- see and hear examples below

EU
- (de) speurneus 2 3 ('[~search-nose] sleuth, investigating person') - (de) neusbreuk 2 3 ('nose crack,' 'broken nose' - a made-up word - Dutchmen can do that )
- see and hear examples below

OE
boek ('book') - voet 2 ('foot') - broer ('brother')
more examples - the OE page

UI
- (de) huilbui ('crying fit') - (het) huisvuil 2 ('household garbage')
- see and hear examples below

Introduction to Diphthongs
with links to many examples

Diphthongs don't have 'short' and 'long' forms, and no resulting spelling changes

Dutch Sounds not Found in English

CH / G "A sound like you clear your throat." There is no sound like it in English, but it is like J in European Spanish, and a similar sound is found in Hebrew and Arabic.
- cholera ('cholera') - chroom ('chrome') - lach ('a laugh') - toch 2 ('yet, still') - dicht ('closed') - lucht ('air') - rechts ('right (not left)')
Dutch CH and G do not sound exactly the same, but the difference is very small and foreign students shouldn't worry about it ‑>>
lachen 2 ('to laugh') / vlaggen 2 ('flags')
ga! ('go!') - gas ('a gas') - ge (Flemish 'you') - eg ('agriculture tool') - geel 2 3 ('yellow') - god ('god') - glad ('smooth, slippery') - grijs 2 ('grey') - boog ('bow, arch') - dag 2 ('day; goodbye') - weg ('way, road') - brug ('bridge')
more CH examples - the CH page
more G examples - the G page
G and CH are pronounced differently in the South of The Netherlands and Belgium, de 'Zachte G' - more - 2
Zachte G 2 3 - Zachte G 2 3 'soft' (Southern) G
geen groter genoegen
geen groter genoegen no greater pleasure

EI / IJ
There is no sound like Dutch EI/IJ 2 in English, but it's said that the sound is "somewhere between English FATE and FIGHT" - hear Dutch feit ('fact') - or "between MATE and MIGHT" - hear Dutch: mijt ('parasitic bug') / meid 2 ('girl' - slang)
A sound like Dutch EI/IJ is found in French, in a word like soleil 2 ('sun') and in the name of the Mediterranean city of Marseille

mees titmouse (a bird)	-	meis "girl" (slang)	-	maïs maize, corn	2
Trees (girl's name)	-	Thijs (boy's name)	-	Thais Thai	2

mei May	-	maai (I) mow	-	mij me
hei heath, moor	-	haai shark	-	hij he

EU
There is no sound like Dutch EU in English, but German has a sound like it in some words with Ö or OE like the logician Gödel - schön 2 3 'beautiful' or the author Goethe
French has a sound like Dutch EU in a word like deux 'two'
- beuk ('beech (a tree)') - (de) keuken 2 ('kitchen') - (de) keuze ('choice') - neus ('nose') - (de) euro 2 ('euro') - (de) heuvel ('hill')
more examples - the EU page

UU / U ('long' U)
There is no sound in English similar to Dutch 'long U' - but is is found in French, like in cru or dur and in German, like in Hügel and Muesli
U ('you' - formal) - uur ('hour') - muziek 2 ('music') ('tuba') - tube 2 ('tube,' type of container, for instance for toothpaste)
more examples - the U/UU page

UI
There is no sound like Dutch UI 2 in English, but French has it in a word like l'oeil ('the eye') - hear Dutch: lui ('lazy')
- buik ('belly') - duim 2 ('thumb') - huis 2 ('house') - vuil ('dirt, dirty stuff; dirty')
more examples - the UI page

Dutch Sounds Represented by Other Letters in English

Dutch J - English 'Consonant Y'
Dutch J is like English 'Consonant Y' (except in IJ of course)
- ja 5 ('yes') - jakkes! ('yikes, yuck!) - jij ('you') - je 2 ('you') - jou 2 ('you') - jullie ('you') - more about Dutch 'you:' personal pronouns - joker ('joker' - cards)
more examples

NG
like NG in SINGER ('vocalist') or HANGER, never like in LINGER or DANGER
- ringvinger ('ring finger') - (de) zangeres 2 ('lady singer') - engerd ('a creep') - lang 2 3 4 / lange long, tall - jongen ('boy')
more examples

R
Dutch R is quite different from English R:
- er ('~there') ->> - raam 2 ('window') - rand ('edge') - rijst ('rice') - rug ('back' - body part) - borst
At the beginning of a word, English R starts with the tongue touching the top of the palate, and then moving down; it's a 'rolling' sound formed in the middle of the mouth.
Dutch R keeps the tongue flat, its tip touching the lower teeth, and it's formed in the back of the mouth.
Compare English and Dutch R:

English	road	room	ram
Dutch	rood	roem	rem
meaning	red	fame	a brake

W
- wij willen water ('we want water')
Keep lips relaxed, not rounded like in English W; Dutch W starts with the top of the lower lip touching the front upper teeth, but not clearly blowing out air like for a V or F. The sound is formed in the back of the mouth, and not in the front like English W.
waar ('where; true') ->> - was ('laundry; wax; (I/you/he) was') - week 2 ('week') - wet ('law') - winst ('profit') - woord ('word')
more examples - the W page

Vowels and Diphthongs Compared

A few examples:
aanval 2 - spraakzaam 2 3
- aanrecht - waarheen? 2 - tafel 2 3
- maanlicht 2 3 - balie 2
- aankomst 2 - draadloos 2
- datum 2 - zwaluw
- bladgoud 2 - dankzij 2
- acteur 2 - stapvoets 2 3
- pakhuis

more extreme examples:
tijdsduur 2 - ruwheid
- steunmuur - schuurdeur
- kruisvuur 2 - stuurlui 2 3
- Kijk uit! 2 3 4 - buikpijn 2
- scheurbuik 2 3 - huisdeur 2
- kleurrijk - wijsneus 2
- vrijheid 2 - bruidssuiker

more examples, systematic list:
Vowels and Diphthongs Compared
Flashcards Listening Exercise - 2

Another Approach: 'Recognizable' Words

Dutch and English Words of about the Same Meaning
park adder half accent 2 3 fase water 2 drama 2 bed 2 lens test 2 3 echo 2 3 ego 2 3 decibel		lip blind 2 film 2 bitter liter 2 crisis 2 3 alibi 2 dogma 2 god concert wolf		open opera horizon 2 moment radio 2 hut rubber 2 3 bus tunnel 2 duel 2 tuba uniform

warm / worm

Identical or very similar Dutch and English Words
Easy Dutch 1: Background and Pronunciation Some background on the shared roots and changes between English and Dutch and 'Reognizable' Words, 'Easy Vocabulary'
Easy Dutch 2: Recognizable Words by Subject
Colors - Days, Months, Seasons - Numbers - Time - The Human Body - Family and Relatives - On the Farm - More Animals - Music - Trees
Easy Dutch 3: 'Reognizable' Verbs

'False Friends' (Faux Amis) Identical Words of different Meaning

Meaning		Dutch	English		Dutch word, alternates
afraid, scared		bang	bang		knal loud noise
leg		been 2 3	been		past participle of 'to be' ik ben geweest I have been
1. through 2. by		door	door		deur 2 entry to room or house
elsewhere, in another place		elders	elders		wijze oude mannen 2 wise old men ('village elders')
a fairy		fee	fee		kosten a charge, money that needs to be paid
corridor, hallway		gang	gang		bende bunch of bad guys
1. slippery 2. smooth		glad	glad		blij happy, joyful
him		hem	hem		zoom 2 3 finished edge of fabric
chin		kin 2	kin		familie ~relatives ‑>>
alphabet character		letter 2	letter		letter 2 letter, character brief mail message
file, folder, holder for papers		map	map		kaart 2 geographical representation, drawing of an area
joke also: mopje		mop 2	mop		dweil 2 zwabber raghead on a stick
strange, weird, odd raar / rare 2		rare	rare		ongebruikelijk 2 / zeldzaam 2 uncommon, unusual kort gebakken 2 'sautéed shortly,' underdone meat
back (body part)		rug	rug		kleed carpet, tapestry tapijt 2 carpet, tapestry
a time of quiet, low activity		rust 2	rust		roest iron oxidation - rust roest low activity leads to stagnation

Exceptions and Irregularities

EEN / 'N
The Dutch indefinite article ('a') een is pronounced with voiceless, unstressed E ('the 'schwa') and not the 'long E' you'd expect from the spelling. It can also be written as " 'n. "
'One' is één 2 3 - the number 1 and 'one' meaning 'quantity: one,' usually written with accents
Iemand zal een oplosing moeten vinden Someone will have to find a solution Er is maar één oplossing 2 There's only one solution

HET / 'T
The Dutch definite article #2 het 2 ('the') is often pronounced as 't and can phonetically more correctly be written as " 't. " ‑>>

het is	it's, it is
't is 2 3	it's, it is

The -IG Ending
The -IG ending is pronounced with voiceless, unstressed E ('the 'schwa') and not the 'short I' you'd expect from the spelling.
Almost all words of more than one syllable with an -IG ending are adjectives or adverbs, or words derived from adjectives and adverbs

A few examples:
luchtig ('airy, light // not serious')
schichtig 2 3 ('skittish, nervous, shy')
voorzichtig 2 ('careful, with caution') ‑>> voorzichtig! 2 ('be careful!') twintig (' 20 ') numbers
gezellig 2 3 (untranslatable: '~pleasant, ~nice, ~enjoyable, ~gregarious, ~cosy') ->>
more examples

The -ISCH Ending
The -ISCH ending is pronounced with Dutch 'long I' (IE) (English EE) and not the 'short I' you'd expect from the spelling, and the CH is dropped.

a few examples:
kritisch 2 ('critical')
chemisch / chemische ('chemical')
tragisch 2 / tragische ('tragical')
mechanisch 2 ('mechanical')
psychisch 2 3 4 ('psychological, mental')
Indisch ('from the Dutch Indies' // 'from India')
allergisch ('allergic')
more examples

The -LIJK Ending
The -LIJK ending 2 is pronounced with voiceless, unstressed E ('the 'schwa') and not the EI/IJ you'd expect from the spelling.

a few examples:
lelijk 2 / lelijke 2 3 ('ugly')
rijkelijk ([richly] 'abundantly')
vrijelijk ('freely, liberally')
verrukkelijk ('delicious')
ijselijk ([icely] 'dreadful, frightening')
gevaarlijk 2 3 ('dangerous')
more examples

Unexpectedly 'Short' A
Contrary to the spelling/pronunciation rules that say a single vowel is 'long' when followed by one consonant and one or more vowels, many A's in that position are 'short.' Going through my recordings it looks like a significant number. The stress in these words in never on that first syllable
a few examples:
- apart 2 3 ('apart, separate' // 'peculiar') - bananen ('bananas') - (het) katoen ('cotton') - (de) azijn ('vinegar') - (het) lawaai 2 ('noise') - Amerikanen 2 3 ('Americans') - Japan ('Japan')
many more examples

End-of-word B
End-of-word B is pronounced as P, but when an E-ending is added to the word, B's are pronounced as B
Compare:
(het) lab ('lab, laboratory') / (de) lap ('a piece of cloth or land')
(de) eb 2 ('ebbtide') / (de) mep ('slap, whack, blow')

a few examples:
ik heb ('I have') / wij hebben 2 ('we have')
(de) slab 2 ('bib') / (het) slabbetje 2 ('small bib')
(de) krab 2 3 ('crab') / krabben ('crabs' // 'to scratch')
more examples

CH in CHRI-
The CH in CHRI is pronounced as K. All Dutch words starting with CHRI derive from Christus ('Christ') - Jezus Christus 2
(de) christen christian, christian person - plural:  christenen Christien ('a girls' name') - Chris ('a boys' name')
more examples

End-of-word D
End-of-word D is pronounced as T, but when an E-ending is added to the word, D's are pronounced as D
Compare:
(het) bad ('bath') / (het) gat ('hole')
(het) bed 2 ('bed') / (de) pet ('cap')

a few examples:
(de) daad ('action,' "deed") / daden ('actions,' "deeds")
(het) paard 2 ('horse') / paarden 2 ('horses')
(het) goud ('gold') / gouden ('golden')
more examples

"Lopen" or "Lope"?
Many people in Holland (probably a majority of the population) don't pronounce the final N's in verb infinitives, verb plurals and noun plurals. Feel free to do that too, you will be perfectly understood either way. But I do not recommend it, dear students, because you have to write those N's anyway, so not pronouncing them just adds a spelling rule

De mensen praten plat.
De mense prate plat. People talk sloppily, substandard Dutch. We hebben lopen demonstreren.
We hebbe lope demonstrere. 2 3 We have been in a protest march. more

SCHR: "ShR"
The CH in SCHR is not pronounced - just an H 'aspiration,' breathing out, "an exhalation of breath" - listen to the examples.
- (het) schrammetje ('small scratch') - schragen 2 3 4 5 ('sawhorses, gantries' // 'to support, prop up') - schrikken 2 3 4 ('to be startled, frightened, scared, shocked') - (het) schroot ('scrap metal') - (de) schreeuw ('shout') - schrijven 2 3 ('to write') - (de) schroef ('screw')
Compare with: (de) visgraat 2 3 4 ('fish bone') - muisgrijs 2 3 ('mouse-grey') - (de) staatsgreep ('coup') - 't Is chronisch 2 ('It's chronical')
- (de) asregen 2 3 ('ash rain, rain of ash')
many more examples

-TIE Ending: 1. "-TIE" 2. "-TSIE" 3. "-SIE"
The -TIE ending can be pronounced in three different ways:

• -TIE 2 3 (English TEE) after S
• -TSIE 2 3 (English TSEE) after vowels and N
• -SIE 2 (English SEE) after C, P and R

- (de) kwestie ('(question) - matter')

- (de) suggestie ('suggestion')

- (de) combinatie 2 ('combination')

- complicaties 2 ('complications')

- (de) inflatie 2 3 ('inflation')

- (de) situatie 2 ('situation')

- (de) politie 2 ('police')

(de) advertentie ('ad, advertisement')

- (de) concurrentie 2 3 ('competition')

- (de) actie 2 ('action?')

- (de) correctie 2 3 ('correction')

- (de) corruptie ('corruption')

- (de) portie 2 ('portion,

single U in UW is 'Long'
The single U in UW is always 'long'
for instance: Uw ('your' - formal) - duw ('a push') - duwen ('to push') - ruw 2 / ruwe ('rough') - ruwweg ('roughly' - estimating)
Compare with: - (de) rug ('back' - body part) - (het) rund 2 ('beef cattle') - Ruud 2 (a boys' name)
more examples

WR: "VR"
W before R is pronounced as (Dutch) V
Compare:
- wrede ('cruel') / (de) vrede ('peace')
- (de) wraak ('revenge') / (de) vraag 2 ('question')
more examples

More examples on the Source Pages for this Chapter:
Major Exceptions to the Phonetic Spelling of Dutch - 2 - Minor Exceptions
Older versions: Lesson10 - smartphone - 2
Problems in Dutch Pronunciation and Spelling

More, If You Like

Dutch First and Last Names
Dutch Place Names
Foreign Lands and Places
Names Overview

email - Copyright © Marco Schuffelen 2024. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, redistributed, or hotlinked to.
Gij zult niet stelen 'Thou shalt not steal'